Interest

Gundam, Macross Quake Messages by Okawara, Kawamori

On March 14, the veteran mechanical designer Kunio Ōkawara (Gundam, Votoms) posted the above image of Mobile Suit Gundam's title robot to encourage Japan and to thank the nation's Self-Defense Forces and others involved in the reconstruction after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake disaster (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai) three days earlier. He then posted the image below of the Yatterwan robot from the Yatterman anime series on March 23.

Mechanical designer and director Shōji Kawamori (Macross, Escaflowne, Aquarion) also posted an illustrated message of support via the Twitter account of Kadokawa's Sneaker Bunko imprint on March 22. Kawamori was born in northwestern Japan, and he directed Ihatov Gensou: Kenji no Haru (Spring and Chaos), an anime based on the life of acclaimed author Kenji Miyazawa (Night on the Galactic Railroad). Miyazawa was famous for his devotion to Buddhism, social activism, and preserving the way of life in Iwate, a northeastern prefecture hard hit by the earthquake.

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